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Friday, September 9, 2016

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 Battery Issues & Safety Concerns

Consumers that recently bought the new galaxy note 7 smartphone are definitely not the happiest lot. Samsung has had to recall the devices after reports of incidents of battery explosions. In some cases of these battery explosions, serious fire damages on properties have been reported. The rechargeable lithium batteries contained in the gadgets are said to be extremely overheating. When the temperatures exceed certain limits, the batteries explode and can easily cause fire accidents.

Although the Samsung smartphone isn’t actually the first gadget to suffer battery explosion issues, the manufacturer has made efforts to explain the issue leading to the recall. Nothing beyond the obvious overheating problem has been stated, like what specific manufacturing flaw is causing it in the first place, but Samsung says it’s a rare error.

Immediately after making the recall, Samsung didn’t immediately explain how customers where supposed to go about returning their phones. But all major carriers in the US have been giving customers instructions on how to return their phones. Upon returning their gadgets, customers are supposed to have them replaced with Samsung galaxy S7 phones and the price difference paid back. A $25 gift is also offered for the inconvenience caused to the smartphone users.

Some of the incidents reported so far leave no doubt that the battery overheating issue poses serious safety concerns. A family from ST. Pete has already lost their Jeep after a Galaxy Note 7 phone that was left charging inside the car exploded and caused fire. It’s easy to see how such explosions can potentially lead to fire disasters in different environments especially where the risk factors are significantly high enough.

Just days after Samsung recalled its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, a St. Petersburg man says he found out the hard way why the recall was issued in the first place.

Nathan Dornacher's wife, Lydia said the family went to a yard sale Labor Day morning. While unloading a desk they bought for their daughter, Nathan left his Note 7 charging in the center console of his Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Lydia said they sent their 8-year-old daughter, with the family's service dog, to get back in the vehicle because they were leaving to run more errands. But the dog knew something was wrong. Nathan looked out of the window and realized his Jeep was on fire.

U.S. aviation safety officials took the extraordinary step late Thursday of warning airline passengers not to turn on or charge a new-model Samsung smartphone during flights following numerous reports of the devices catching fire.

The Federal Aviation Administration also warned passengers not to put the Galaxy Note 7 phones in their checked bags, citing "recent incidents and concerns raised by Samsung" about the devices. It is extremely unusual for the FAA to warn passengers about a specific product